Let’s Have a Talk:Pat the Dog!

Superights is the international distribution arm of Superprod Group and specializes in programs for children and families. The Superights catalogue boasts many successful series such as Pat the Dog, Helen’s Little School, Geronimo Stilton, Puffin Rock, Boyster and Kika & Bob among others.

Recently their Pat the Dog! has entered China market and is broadcasted in Mongo TV. Today we will talk with Superrights about their welcomed TV series Pat the Dog!

CGGE: Would you please introduce this project and who are the key creative people of this project?

Pat the Dog is a series for kids about the adventures of Pat, a dog hero who would do anything to save the day of his owner Lola. It’s a pure comedy series that brings a lot of fun to kids all over the world; so far, we have produced more than 150 episodes that are broadcasted by leading channel everywhere, like FRANCE TELEVISIONS in France, RAI in Italy, WARNER MEDIA group for its channels in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, DISNEY for its channels in Spain, France, Netherlands, Russia and Germany and DISCOVERY KIDS in Latin America just to mention few. A new season as well as a movie are currently in the works.

The idea of the series came from the very popular App game, called Space Dog, that reached over 45 million players worldwide. The creative team of Superprod, headed by Patrick Ermosilla, did a great job with Charles Vaucelle and Daniel Klein, directors of Season 1 and Season 2 respectively, to transform a mobile game into the successful TV series beloved by so many kids around the world.

CGGE: Any following plans for Pat the Dog!, like franchising, merchandising after it has more and more audience worldwide?

Absolutely, licensing & merchandising is definitely the next step to make Pat the Dog a bigger brand. We already have several partnerships in place, like a deal with German company Nici for the production and distribution of plush around Europe, and we are working hard to announce new deals soon.

We recently launched a new version of Pat the Dog Game, already localized in 6 languages and available on App Store and Google Play, and we are working on a new season of the TV series as well as a movie, as said before.

CGGE: Due to COVID 19, more and more companies choose to distribute their works in the online platform. Do you think it will continue to be a trend after the epidemic？ Will you also regard the online platform be your future main market other than the traditional broadcast platform?

I think COVID 19 has strengthened the centrality and the importance that online platforms have in the media consumption for people everywhere; It’s a process that started several years ago and that is still growing very fast. Despite that, I think traditional broadcaster are still the key players in the industry and I don’t see traditional linear broadcaster being “replaced” by platforms, but more a coexistence between the two, in line with the recent trend that sees many traditional broadcasters launching their own platforms, like Disney, Warner, NBC Universal, etc on a global basis, in addition to many other local broadcasters who are doing the same in their local markets.

CGGE: Why you choose Mongo TV as its broadcast platform? Any difficulties for entering China market. You know, there is a very strict rules for foreign animation series broadcasted this market.

Mango TV is one of the leading platforms in China, so we thought it was the right home for Pat the Dog to arrive in the country. We are very happy about our relationship with them and the results they achieved so far. We just completed the delivery of Season 2, that will be launched on Mango TV soon.

CGGE: Will you consider to add more Chinese artists or Chinese concept to this series if you plan to expand its market in China?

Sure, there are so many great talents in your country and China is such an important market for us that it makes a lot of sense to do that to make our series even more appealing for Chinese kids.

CGGE: What do you think of the China market? Do you think it will be your one of the major market for the future animation series? Do you have sign any strategic agreements or memo with any Chinese distribution companies or platform?

I think China is already one of the major market for animation industry and that in the next future it will increase its importance further. We know it is not an easy market to enter due to the strict rules for foreign animation, but at the same time thanks to the great relationships we have built up in the past years with our clients, we achieved to sell basically all our catalogue. New in our catalogue we have our last production That’s Joey!, a comedy series for kids we just completed with French channel M6 and that is ready to be broadcasted and Anna & Friends, a preschool comedy series we are currently producing with French public broadcaster France Television; I really look forward to find the right home for those two series in China, since I’m sure Chinese kids will love them!

Thanks！

By: CGGE